Google must extend payments across Europe for use of content

Google must extend its offer made last week to pay French publishers for use of their content to all media companies across Europe, says the head of the European Publishers Council.

Last week, the internet search giant agreed to pay 60 million euros ($A78 million) into a special fund to help French media develop their presence on the internet. It will not pay them for posting links to their content.

French publishers had demanded licensing fees for headlines and snippets of articles in its search engine results.

Google settled a similar case with Belgian publishers in December by helping them boost online revenue, but still faces a dispute with publishers in Germany.

Advertisement

"Search engines get more than 90 per cent of revenues from online advertising and a substantial part of these come directly or indirectly from the free access to professional news or entertainment content produced by the media," said Francisco Pinto Balsemao.

"The situation is very bad for media groups [in Europe]. This use is carried out without the authorisation from copyright holders or without any payment in return. So, all aggregators, like Google, should pay.

"Google's openness to negotiate and talk looks like a good step that must now be followed in other [European] countries."

The EPC represents 26 of the main media groups operating in Europe, including Thomson Reuters, Prisa, News International, Axel Springer and Impresa.

Advertising revenues in Portugal fell by 90 million euros ($A117 million) last year to 526 million euros ($A685 million), its lowest since 1997.

Balsemao is also chief executive of Portuguese media group Impresa, which owns Portugal's best-selling weekly Expresso and television channel SIC.

Subscribe to IT Pro

Editor's Choice

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has bolstered Malcolm Turnbull's ministerial duties, handing him greater responsibility for e-government in a push to expand the use of a single digital identity for Australians.

Data

The new roof that spans Margaret Court arena does more than keep out the weather. Built into the gantries that surround the sliding ceiling are Wi-Fi antennas that beam web access to every ticket holder.